Many of us take our position in life for granted – even if one doesn’t live a life of luxury, there is still consistency and comfort that guide our daily routines, which is something that is unfortunately not a universal experience, particularly for those in developing countries or those ravaged by war, civil unrest or political corruption. Jacques Audiard is a director who has constantly proven himself to be an artist with a firm grasp on the cultural pulse, with most of his films being well-crafted, socially-aware existential odysseys that look at the lives of ordinary people and how they attempt to make a living. One of his less-discussed works (despite being awarded arguably the most prestigious film prize in history) is Dheepan, in which he tells the story of a trio of Tamil refugees who flee from war-torn Sri Lanka, being given new identities (retrieved from the bodies of the deceased) and told to settle in France, where they will have to pose as a family to ensure their survival and to avoid stirring too much suspicion towards their presence in the country. They soon learn that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side, and while they are out of harm’s way in terms of being caught in the middle of a violent civil war, it is replaced by a sense of unease that comes from realizing that they are foreigners in a country that is growing steadily more hostile to immigrants, particularly those from third-world countries, which are rarely viewed favourably by those committed to preserving the legacy of their national identity. A harsh but poignant exploration of identity, nationality and humanity as a whole, Dheepan is a film with many great ideas. It may be undercut by a few shortcomings that have to do with its execution and the director’s overall intention, but it remains a solid, well-crafted existential drama that represents some of Audiard’s most intriguing and unconventional skills as a storyteller, which is perfectly depicted throughout this though-provoking thriller that touches on some raw and potentially controversial ideas in its frequent attempts to rework common perceptions of the immigrant experience.

Representation is an important component of art, particularly in a medium like film, which is built on collaboration and creative symbiosis. Audiard is not always the most reliable filmmaker as far as quality goes, but he certainly does show consistent efforts to be inclusive, whether it’s the people he chooses to cast or the stories that he tells through his films. His intention for Dheepan was well-publicized, where he stated that the seed of the film was a contemporary remake of Straw Dogs, which organically germinated into the story of Tamil immigrants, thus only being a spiritual adaptation of the Sam Peckinpah classic, but still bearing some of its more unique qualities, only filtering them through an entirely new perspective. It is clear that the only way to encounter certain populations as protagonists is to venture to these countries and watch their films, since very rarely do we find Western or mainstream filmmakers from other markets putting in a concerted effort to have their stories told. This is why it becomes so extremely notable when there is an instance of a director from a more developed market working to elevate and amplify the voices of the marginalized and invisible. Dheepan is set within the Tamil community, following a small group of them as they voyage across the world to settle in France. This is a film primarily about the immigrant experience and how deeply unsettling it can be for someone to abandon their home and face the challenges of essentially being a stranger in their own country, which is far from a pleasant experience and one that can break even the most resilient of spirits. The film follows the characters – particularly the titular protagonist, a former child soldier trying to escape his past – as they try to find a sense of belonging in a country that is not always receptive to those who come from elsewhere, particularly those who are deemed as being inferior based on economic, cultural and religious status. These elements are all factors in the narrative of Dheepan, which can be quite unsettling but still profoundly heartfelt in how it views the lives of these people as they attempt to adjust to the various obstacles that stand in the way of refugees seeking a home.

One aspect of Dheepan that was heavily promoted as proof of its worth is the use of non-professional actors in the main roles. This is a film that could have easily been made with well-known or professional actors in the parts, even if it needed to involve collaboration between different countries in terms of bringing attention to its performers. Yet, Audiard strives for sincerity, and we find that this film benefits from this desire to be as genuine as possible. The titular character is played by Antonythasan Jesuthasan, who is himself a former child soldier, and who was hired not only to portray this part but also to serve as a consultant and advisor, as part of the director’s intention to have a voice of consistency present, particularly for those thornier and more challenging moments. Jesuthasan is a revelation in the film – the story may present too many opportunities for him to tell his own life’s story, but he nonetheless dedicates his time to constructing this complex individual, a man who has grown weary of being dealt a bad hand consistently throughout his life, and now decides that it is the right moment to seek his freedom, even if it means immersing himself in a hostile and unwelcoming portion of society since the security they offer is theoretically worth the obstacles he would have to face. He is joined by Kalieaswari Srinivasan and Claudine Vinasithamby as the strangers he has to pretend are his family, the trio becoming a symbiotic entity insofar as they share a common goal to escape Sri Lanka, and as a result, have to masquerade as a family to avoid rousing suspicion, but eventually find what they expected to be a temporary solution flourishes into a deeper connection, based around their growing fondness for one another, as well as the reason that they know survival is more likely in groups than it is in isolation. The actors being untrained and new to the craft lends the film a level of authenticity, particularly since this is the quality that the film promotes as fundamentally based around. Simple but evocative, the film works extremely well in how it grows and develops its main characters, as well as those that exist on the periphery but still make a considerable impact.

However, as promising as certain elements of the film may be, Dheepan does have several imperfections, and while they’re neither too severe nor distinct to cause much damage to the overall experience, they’re notable enough to hinder some of its growth. Audiard is a peculiar filmmaker insofar as he is an imaginative, ambitious director who has somehow taken the form of a social realist – it is not surprising that some of his most celebrated films are those in which he takes some bold risks, rather than those that attempt to stick to a very clear, preconceived style of storytelling. This film in particular had many ideas that went into its creation, but very few of them feel like they’re making much of an impression outside of presenting us with a strong story, which is not the main attraction of this film. Tonally, Dheepan is quite confused – it struggles to situate itself in terms of genre, existing somewhere between harrowing social drama and tense psychological thriller, and while neither is mutually exclusive from the other, it does feel like the film is only partially developed in both instances, becoming somewhat jagged in terms of its tone. The mood presented throughout the film also doesn’t do it many favours – it aims to be an atmospheric character study, but it doesn’t seem invested enough in following through on the many concepts swirling beneath the surface. I’d even go so far as to say Audiard veers into the territory of the overwrough, crafting a film that has good ideas, but which presents them in a manner that is overly conventional and deeply frustrating, for several different reasons. Part of this is because Audiard, as strong of a filmmaker as he may be, seems to often have trouble evoking certain emotions, and when in doubt he will default to sentimentality, which isn’t entirely compatible with this film and its broader vision. Moreover, it struggles to find ways to handle these emotions without coming across as dreadfully dense in some moments, which can distract from the very strong, admirable intentions situated at the heart of the film.

Finding fault in a film like Dheepan can feel mean-spirited and counterintuitive to the intentions of the entire story, which is about acceptance and navigating challenges relating to identity. However, this is also a film that promises to be bold, engaging and complex in its depiction of its subjects, and while it does possess qualities of them all, they’re only developed midway before moving onto some other element, which leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to how this film handles most of its more complex themes, which needed more space to grow. However, even with this caveat lingering over the film, it is obvious that this is a very important story, and one that the director cares about deeply – if he didn’t find value in the words and images projected by the people whose story he was telling at the start, he develops a strong understanding for their plight and experiences throughout the film. It is a strong piece of representation, especially since it explores a population whose lives are rarely, if ever, given such a platform. It is not an earth-shattering work of art, nor is it one that necessarily offers us anything we haven’t seen countless times before in terms of themes and narrative structure, but ultimately all of this proves to be mostly inconsequential when the surrounding film is a meaningful, engaging work that dares to challenge and provoke the viewer away from being complacent, and instead encourages us to become radical in our empathy and compassion. It can be difficult to watch at some points, and a number of its themes are quite disturbing, but for the most part, Dheepan is a strong effort and a film that showcases Audiard’s interest in telling the stories that many of his countrymen and fellow artists tend to ignore, giving a voice to the marginalized and making a profound impact in both its message and underlying themes.